Exhumation of Chicago lottery winner poisoned with cyanide is under way

Urooj Khan: Authorities begin exhuming Chicago lottery winner's body

CHICAGO — Authorities have begun exhuming the body of a Chicago man who was poisoned with cyanide after winning the lottery.

Backhoes began digging at a Chicago cemetery Friday morning to exhume the body of Urooj Khan. The Cook County medical examiner plans to conduct another autopsy in an effort to figure out exactly how he died.

Khan died in July as he was about to collect $425,000 in lottery winnings. His death was initially ruled a result of natural causes, but a relative pressed for a deeper look.

Full toxicology results revealed in November that Khan was poisoned. His death was reclassified as a homicide.

Authorities hope a forensic autopsy will produce more evidence and tests on Khan’s organs may determine whether the poison was swallowed, inhaled or injected.

Facing dozens of reporters after a judge signed off on the request, Khan’s sister said the thought of her brother’s body being unearthed and re-examined was disturbing — but essential.

“It’s very hard,” a tearful Meraj Khan said. “I wanted my brother to rest in peace, but we have to have justice served.” She added about the exhumation, “It has to be done.”

Police have released few details about the investigation; they have not announced any suspects or a possible motive or said which relative asked for the more thorough inquiry.

The man’s wife, Shabana Ansari, has said she can’t believe her husband had any enemies and that she was not involved in his death.

One of Ansari’s lawyers said before a Jan. 11 hearing that she doesn’t oppose the exhumation. But Al-Haroon Husain said Ansari wants to ensure Islamic religious practices are adhered to, though he didn’t elaborate.

Al-Haroon Husain said he would also ask authorities to carefully document the exhumation and autopsy, including by taking photographs, to ensure the procedures are carried out properly.

The Associated Press reported Jan. 10 that court documents show Ansari has battled with Khan’s siblings over control of his estate, including his $425,000 prize money.

Another lawyer for Ansari said on Jan. 9 that Chicago police detectives questioned her in November for more than four hours at a police station and executed a search warrant on the two-story home where she lived with Khan.

Attorney Steven Kozicki said Ansari maintains she had nothing to do with the death of her husband and he has no indication that investigators might be looking at her as a potential suspect.

“In any case where a husband dies in that manner, sure they’re going to talk to the spouse,” he said. “That’s what they’ve done. … I believe that she had nothing to do with his death. She vehemently says that she had nothing to do with his death.”

The fact that Khan died without a will opened the door to the legal tussle over his estate, which his wife says amounts to more than $1.2 million, including the prize money, his share of a dry-cleaning businesses and real estate, as well as several vehicles and a bank account.

I wanted my brother to rest in peace, but we have to have justice served. It has to be done.

Under Illinois law, Khan’s estate would be split between his wife and 17-year-old daughter from a previous marriage.

However, Khan’s brother Imtiaz and sister Meraj Khan expressed concern in court filings that Khan’s daughter might not get her fair share. The siblings, who live in the Chicago area, are not staking a claim to any of the money for themselves.

They initially won an order from a probate judge in September to freeze the lottery check, asserting his widow tried to cash it.

Meraj Khan is also seeking to become the legal guardian of the teen, who lives with Ansari.

Khan had planned to use his lottery winnings to pay off mortgages, expand his business and make a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Ansari and Khan were both born in the southern India city of Hyderabad and immigrated to the United States as adults.

Khan bought his winning instant lottery ticket in June at a convenience store near his home. It was a $1 million winner, but he opted for a lump sum. After taxes, it amounted to about $425,000, according to the Illinois Lottery.